METHUNE,MA–SiGe Semiconductor announced the appointment of Sohail Khan as president and chief executive officer. Khan will lead SiGe Semiconductor in its next stage of development, as the company expands its position as a leading supplier of RF front-end solutions and GPS receivers to the consumer electronic markets.

SiGe Semiconductor is a global supplier of RF front-end solutions for next-generation wireless systems. The companyâ€™s portfolio includes patented technology that enables wireless data and navigation capability in laptop PCs, PDAs, handheld game machines, cell phones and personal video players. The company has delivered award winning products compliant to the Wi-Fi, WiMAX, Bluetooth, GPS and Galileo standards to some of the leading names in consumer electronics. SiGe Semiconductor has experienced dramatic revenue growth over the past several years, including a 55 percent increase from $31.8 in 2005 to over $49 million in 2006.

â€œWeâ€™d like to welcome Sohail to the helm of SiGe Semiconductor,â€ said Pat DiPietro, managing general partner, VenGrowth Capital Partners, Inc. â€œSiGe has established itself with innovative technology, excellent customer traction and increasing sales revenues. Sohail is the ideal candidate to build on this position and take the company through its next stage of development. He has an impressive track record capitalizing on key market opportunities and maximizing profitability, as well as an in-depth of understanding of SiGeâ€™s technology and customers that is critical to taking the company to the forefront of the market.â€

â€œI am pleased to join the management team at SiGe Semiconductor. The company presents an exciting professional opportunity as one of the few private wireless semiconductor companies to successfully compete against much larger rivals in the consumer electronic marketplace. The company has outstanding technology and is very close with its customers,â€ said Khan. â€œI look forward to building on the companyâ€™s strong foundation of leading technology and hope to expand our market share in wireless applications.â€

Sohail Khan has more than 25 years of experience in the communications and semiconductor industry, with a track record of building large, successful global businesses, creating new products, and developing new markets. Khan comes to SiGe Semiconductor from Bessemer Venture Partners, where he served as an entrepreneur in residence and operating partner, responsible for evaluating communications deals and providing assistance to portfolio companies. Previously, he helped to execute Agereâ€™s IPO spin-out, and held the positions of executive vice president of Infrastructure Systems and chief strategy and development officer. Khan increased the companyâ€™s profitability through expanding market share and entering new markets through acquisition. During his career, Khan served as president of Lucentâ€™s Integrated Circuits – Microelectronics division, where he grew the companyâ€™s market position in cellular handsets and base stations through collaboration with some of the industryâ€™s leading names in this segment. Khan has also held various management positions at NEC Electronics, Intel and the National Engineering Services of Pakistan.

Sohail Khan sits on the board of directors for both LightPath Technologies, a public company traded on NASDAQ, and GainSpan Corporation, a venture funded private company. Sohail holds a master of business administration from the University of California at Berkeley, and a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from the University of Engineering in Lahore, Pakistan.

Bangladesh Association elects board of directors

AUSTIN, TX–The Bangladesh Association of Greater Austin, the official representative body for the Bangladeshi community in Austin, recently elected its first board of directors. The panel was chosen in January by about 400 members of the association, which is responsible for promoting Bangladeshi culture, tradition and heritage as well as organizing social, cultural and charitable events. Nasim Uddin was named chairman of the 2007 board, Rashed T. Islam was named secretary and Syed R. Rahmen was named treasurer. The board members are Khaled Matin, Natalie Hossain, Quamrul Mina, Rabiul Islam, Syed Kaiser-, Sultan Ahmed, Tahsin Askar and Tuhin Sarwar.
Nadir to head admissions at Arizona State

Zarinah T. Nadir is the new director of admissions at Arizona State Sandra Day Oâ€™Connor College of Law, from which she received her law degree in 2006.

She also holds a bachelorâ€™s degree in Spanish from ASU.

As a law student, Nadir co-founded and was president of the Muslim Law Students Association, vice president and treasurer of the John P. Morris Black Law Students Association, a member of the Deanâ€™s Council on Diversity and Inclusion and a participant in the Homeless Legal Assistance Project.

She worked with the Arizona Senior Citizens Law Project and Immigration Court.

Nadir story appeared in The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women in America, a book published last year by journalist Donna Gehrke-White.

She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Islamic Social Services Association, and she remains active in the Al-Muâ€™minah Young Womenâ€™s Association which fosters empowerment and leadership skills in young women. In addition, Nadirâ€™s face and story appeared in The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women in America, a book published last year by journalist Donna Gehrke-White.

â€œI want to make use of my background and knowledge, of being an ASU alumna and lifelong Arizona resident, to extend the warm welcome mat that was extended to me when I first entered this law school,â€ she said. â€œI hope to be a friendly face out in other parts of the country to draw a highly qualified and even more diverse student body to the College of Law.â€

Nadir said she also hopes to highlight the College of Lawâ€™s accomplishments on the larger ASU campus and help promote the Collegeâ€™s Masterâ€™s of Legal Studies degree and LL.M. degrees in Biotechnology and Genomics and in Tribal Policy, Law, and Government

Penalties for taxi drivers refusing to carry passengers with alcohol

ST. PAUL, MN–Taxi drivers who refuse to carry passengers carrying alcoholic beverages will receive stiff penalties, the Metropolitan Airports Commission has ruled. Drivers who refuse will face penalties including a two year revocation of their taxi permits. The commission voted unanimously to impose the new penalties from May.

According to media reports as many as 70% of the cityâ€™s taxi drivers are Muslim. Most of them are Somali immigrants.

The new rules cover any driver who refuses a ride for unwarranted reasons, including those who refuse to take short-haul passengers in favor of more lucrative longer trips. They can still refuse fares for certain reasons, including threats to their safety.

Under the new regulations a first offense would result in a 30-day cab licence suspension and a second in a two-year taxi license revocation.

The current penalty only requires that cab drivers who refuse a fare to go back to the end of the taxi queue, costing them time and money.

Reward offered for information relating to Islamic school arson

TAMPA, FL–Thereâ€™s a reward for information about the people who torched an Islamic education center Thursday.

Investigators are calling it arson, and are still exploring the possibility itâ€™s a hate crime.

The Council on American Islamic Relations is hoping a $10,000 reward will motivate a tipster to help solve the case.

The FBI has developed some leads but hasnâ€™t said much about its ongoing investigation.

Community offers help to fire damaged mosque

SCHUYLKIL COUNTY, PA–The Islamic Society of Schuylkil County in Pennsylvania which was damaged by a fire on April 11, has been offered prayer space by the Jewish community in the nearby town of Pottsville.

Although the Muslim congregation ultimately decided to hold services in a fire station that also offered space, the mosqueâ€™s imam, Shiraz Mansoor, and the chairman of the Pennsylvania branch of the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Iftekhar Hussain, both expressed gratitude for the Oheb Zedeck Synagogueâ€™s generosity. The fire station was chosen because its location is more convenient, Hussain said.

â€œThis kind of interfaith cooperation is a concrete demonstration of the mutual support that results when American communities come together in times of crisis,â€ Hussain told a USNewswire reporter.

Under Mansoorâ€™s leadership, the mosque â€œhas had a half a dozen interfaith visits and programs with the synagogue,â€ said Hussain. Mansoor is also a member of the Pottsville Ministerium, an organization of local clergymen who get together once a month, and he served for a few years as vice president of the Unity Coalition. The Unity Coalition has â€œmembers from the Catholic, Lutheran, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Jewish communities,â€ according to Hussain.

Jail chaplain suspended for anti-Muslim propaganda

NEW CITY, NJ–A chaplain of Rockland County jail has been suspended for distributing anti-Islamic propaganda to the inmates. Rev. Teresa Darden Clapp distributed booklets which characterised Muslims as â€œdevil worshippersâ€ and contained derogatory comments against Islamic personalities. Clapp has been suspended on pay pending an investigation.

â€œOur congregation was very shaken. We are very upset about these false allegations against our religion,â€ Azra Fasihuddin, a West Nyack resident and member of the Islamic Center of Rockland, said today. â€œShe should be let go. And why is she being paid while she is suspended? I donâ€™t understand this.â€

Others have said they tried to volunteer at the jail but Clapp had been uncooperative.

Hijab wearing girls banned from Taekwondo tournament

MONTREAL, CANADA– Observant Muslim girlsâ€™ attempts to participate in mainstream activities while wearing the hijab have faced a second challenge in Montreal. Earlier, one girl was barred from playing soccer. This week, five girls were barred from taking part and were not allowed to participate in a taekwondo tournament.

The Quebec federation of taekwondo cited the World Taekwondo Federation competition rules which state: â€œWearing any item on the head other than the head protector shall not be permitted.â€

Up until now clubs had allowed the wearing of hijab despite the rule. Theoretically, itâ€™s against the rules, but most countries accept it,â€ said Gerrit Eissnik, a member of the World Taekwondo Federation Council and secretary general of the European Taekwondo Union.

He said European competitions such as the Dutch Open, in which 55 countries compete, have been allowing competitors to wear the Muslim head covering for many years. He expects the world federation might soon alter the rule to formally allow hijabs.

In Canada, hijabs have not been an issue at the national level according to the sportâ€™s association, Taekwondo Canada.

â€œIn national competitions, we follow the [WTF] rules,â€ said Jonathan Dagostino, who was fielding calls on behalf of the association Monday. â€œItâ€™s never come up and if it does come up, weâ€™ll handle it then. We canâ€™t make decisions on what hasnâ€™t happened yet.â€